No Strings Attached

The Art of Successful School-Based Management

Abstract:: In this monograph the author offers the reader a new perspective on an important, dynamic, and sometimes daunting issue: managing successful school-based leadership. Organized around the seven elements of art criticism, the author uses an arts-based approach to weave together notions of research-based leadership skills for successful school-based management with standards of professional competence as represented by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards for School Leaders.

No Strings Attached

A Snail Mail In-Basket Gets a Delivery Update

Abstract:: For years, principal pre-service programs have employed in-basket simulations to provide learning experiences that reflect the realities of a school administrator's work day. In-basket exercises afford graduate students opportunities to explore such leadership skills as organizing and prioritizing tasks, managing time, making decisions, taking initiative, practicing interpersonal skills, delegating responsibilities, and monitoring and following up on actions (Nowack, K. M., 1993). In order to replicate as closely as possible how communication is practiced in today's schools, the delivery of a traditional in-basket exercise (Gorton, Alston, & Snowden, 2007) was repackaged as the Principal's Inbox Simulation in one principal preparation program. The basic premise of the traditional in-basket remained intact, but the delivery of the in-basket was updated to reflect the way communication is practiced in today's schools; that is, to mirror as closely as possible a principal at his/her desk responding to messages in their email in-box.